A friend of my fiancee came to stay with for a few months over the summer in the spare bedroom until his new apartment was ready. He had been my fiancee’s intern while he was in college, and he graduated in May and got a job with my fiancee’s company. Although I was hesitant about having a random boy living with us, it turned out great and he was so polite and so much fun to have around. Our dogs and cats loved him, and one of our cats mourned for two weeks when he moved out! He came over in January to watch some football and surprised me with two boxes of Harney & Sons teas. He is from Millerton, NY where Harney & Sons is based, and knew of my love for tea, especially Harney & Sons. It was such a thoughtful gesture and I am so glad that we were able to get to know him during his stay with us, and that we all still keep in touch!
Now on to the tea! This is not one that I would’ve chosen for myself because it includes hibiscus, and in the past I haven’t been crazy about the tart flavor of hibiscus. I do like raspberries, though, and other fruity teas. There is really bold scent of raspberries from the teabag, but also a really odd alcohol smell. Thankfully the tea liquor smells more like raspberries. I was expecting this tea to be a red or pink color from the hibiscus, but it is more of a really deep purple color, almost like a pretty eggplant hue. The night that our friend brought this tea I steeped it in my Adagio steeper and then poured it over ice and it was excellent. Tonight is the first time that I am having it hot, and while it’s ok hot, it is far better iced. It has a tart flavor, but a nice raspberry finish that takes away from the hibiscus taste. There is a little bit of a strange artificial note, but adding a little sweetener lessens that and I didn’t notice that at all when I had it iced. I’m glad our friend brought this because I probably would’ve never tried it on my own. I will keep this box around to enjoy iced during the summer and see about buying more after that!
-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells strongly of fresh raspberries with a hint of alcohol. Tea liquor aroma is of musty raspberries.
-Tea liquor is a dark deep purple red color.
-Tart berry flavor with a sweet raspberry finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Tangy raspberry flavor. Best prepared iced.
